Colorado vs. Nebraska and other great rivalries lost to realignment | College Football Insider

BOULDER — Once upon a time, Colorado vs. Nebraska was a national-championship decider.

Thirty years ago to be exact.

When the Cornhuskers honor the program’s 1994 national championship team Saturday night in Lincoln, it will be a painful reminder of what could have been for Buffaloes fans.

When No. 2 CU and No. 3 Nebraska met in Lincoln in late October of that year, the game was billed as a potential title decider.

The Huskers' convincing 24-7 win over arguably the most talented Buffs team of the '90s vaulted them above both CU and Penn State and into the No. 1 overall spot — one they would hold onto for the rest of the season. It ended with the first of three titles in four years under Hall of Fame coach Tom Osborne.

While Buffs fans will groan at the celebration of that ‘94 Nebraska team, it won’t bring happy memories for the Huskers’ current coach, either.

Matt Rhule happened to be a freshman linebacker for a Penn State team that went undefeated but ceded the national title to Nebraska.

“I just remember the heartache of us not getting the national championship,” Rhule said this week.

The same goes for Warren Sapp on Colorado's sideline. Sapp was a member of the Miami team that lost to Nebraska in the Orange Bowl that capped the Huskers' title-winning season.

But Deion Sanders probably won’t feel much of anything at all. While the Buffs coach has said all the right things about his program’s biggest rival, he’s still in only his second season in Boulder and grew up in Florida, far away from the rivalry. In the peak of the series in the mid-1990s, Sanders was dominating on Sundays as one of the NFL’s best defensive players.

“We’re not even in the same conference,” Rhule added.

And that’s a shame. Who knows when these rivals will play again after Saturday night? It’s the end of a four-game series that began in 2018, seven years after each departed the Big 12 for different conferences.

While the Buffs have returned to the Big 12, Nebraska won't leave the Big Ten and the over $80 million per year it receives from the conference’s media rights deals anytime soon.

It might not be until 2030 or beyond when CU and Nebraska meet again on the football field.

This isn’t the only rivalry that’s been lost to conference realignment in the last two decades. While Texas and Texas A&M will have their rivalry renewed in the SEC this season, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State saw their "Bedlam" series come to an end.

Kansas and Missouri fans are bummed the Border War hasn’t been played since 2011. Matchups like Pittsburgh-West Virginia, Maryland-Virginia, Baylor-Texas A&M, USC-Stanford aren’t as popular nationally but were big games regionally now lost to history.

With coaching salaries on the rise and players now able to make money from their name, image and likeness, there’s been one consistent loser in the ever-changing world of college football — the fans, who, on Sunday, must wait for the next edition of Colorado-Nebraska.

“Whether we’re in the same conference or not, this is a tremendous rivalry and I look forward to it,” Coach Prime said.

5 Games to Watch

No. 10 Michigan vs. No. 3 Texas (10 a.m., FOX)

Nearly 20 years since the only meeting between these two storied programs at the 2005 Rose Bowl, Michigan gets Texas at the Big House in arguably the biggest game of this year’s nonconference slate. Both were in the College Football Playoff last season. Both have aspirations to return. The Wolverines are out to defend their national title against an uber-talented Longhorns team.

King’s pick: Texas -7

Tulane vs. No. 17 Kansas State (10 a.m., ESPN)

This will be a tough road test for a Kansas State team with dreams of a Big 12 championship and a playoff berth. While promising sophomore QB Avery Johnson didn’t need to do much in the Wildcats’ Week 1 victory, he may be asked to carry K-State to a win over a Tulane team that won 11 games in each of the last two seasons.

King’s pick: Kansas State -8.5

No. 21 Iowa vs. Iowa State (1:30 p.m., CBS)

Speaking of rivalries, the battle for the Cy-Hawk Trophy has been played every year since 1976 except for the COVID restrictions-shortened 2020 season. Iowa has won seven of the last eight meetings, but Matt Campbell’s Iowa State team is a dark-horse contender in the Big Ten. The Cyclones are eager to snag a second-straight win at Kinnick Stadium.

King’s pick: Iowa State +3

No. 24 N.C. State vs. No. 14 Tennessee (5:30 p.m., ABC)

The other matchup between two ranked opponents in Week 2, the Wolfpack and Volunteers both enter the game looking for an early statement win. Tennessee freshman QB Nico Iamaleava was brilliant in his debut, and N.C. State is confident with QB Grayson McCall under center.

King’s pick: Tennessee -9.5

No. 7 Oregon vs. Boise State (8 p.m., Peacock)

It’s a battle of teams coming off underwhelming Week 1 wins. While Oregon sweated out a win over Idaho into the fourth quarter, Boise State needed a dynamic performance from star running back Ashton Jeanty to beat Georgia Southern on the road. Can the Broncos keep it close? Or will the Ducks' offense get back on track and prove too much to handle?

King’s pick: Boise State +19

King’s Heisman watchlist

1. Cam Ward, QB Miami

There were plenty of big winners from the first full week of action, but the Hurricanes and their star quarterback were chief among them. In his first game after transferring from Washington State, Ward showed why he was a sought-after transfer with 385 passing yards and three touchdowns in a blowout of Florida. He could be the catalyst of a special season in Coral Gables.

2. Travis Hunter, CB/WR, Colorado

Hunter had quite a season debut with over 100 yards receiving and three touchdown catches to go with playing every snap on defense. He’s becoming a show of his own on a weekly basis. What does he have in store at Nebraska?

3. Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State

Outside of Hunter playing 130 snaps, there might not have been a more impressive individual performance in Week 1 than Jeanty’s. The Boise State running back showed why he’s already viewed as one of the best in the country by racking up 267 rushing yards and six touchdowns in the Broncos’ win over Georgia Southern. The most impressive feat? He did it all in just 20 carries, meaning nearly one-third of his touches ended in the end zone. He averaged almost 14 yards per carry.

4. Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona

Speaking of jaw-dropping stat lines, McMillan set a program record with 304 receiving yards against New Mexico. The Arizona star and likely top-10 draft pick also had four touchdowns as he became the first college wideout to rack up over 300 receiving yards since Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njibga in the 2022 Rose Bowl.

5. Carson Beck, QB, Georgia

Despite a slow start, the Bulldogs rolled to a big win over Clemson in Week 1 in a game that wasn’t nearly as close as many thought it would be. Beck's also in the hunt to be the top quarterback in next year’s NFL draft, throwing for over 275 yards and two touchdowns.